Naohito Ise has arrived in New York from Tokyo to head the New York office of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), succeeding Ken Iwata, who is returning to Japan after his service in the United States.
Naohito Ise, the new director of the JNTO in New York, is an avid marathon runner; he recently competed in the Shizuoka Marathon whose route skirts the base of Mount Fuji.
Mr. Ise was born in Saitama Prefecture north of Tokyo and graduated from the Hitotsubashi University School of Law in 1997. He began his government service with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in 2001, working in a variety of positions with the Public Transport Service Division, the City Planning Division and the Civil Aviation Bureau.
2008 took Mr. Ise to London to study at the University of London and, back in Japan in 2012, he worked on transportation policy in the Kagoshima Prefecture. After a spell with Japan’s Ministry of Finance, he returned to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in 2016 to work with the Urban Renewal Promotion Division.
“It is an honor to be here in New York,” said Mr. Ise. “I am thrilled to embark on this new chapter of my career; together with the rest of the JNTO team, I look forward to raising awareness of Japan as a burgeoning travel destination and inspiring more American travelers to visit our beautiful country in the lead-up to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and beyond.”
This is the first overseas posting for Mr. Ise, who is moving to New York with his wife and two children.
The Japan National Tourism Organization, JNTO, provides information about Japan to promote travel to and in the country. It was established in 1964 and its headquarters are in Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. The JNTO operates Tourist Information Centers (TICs) as well as a website. It disseminates information about transportation, lodging, food and beverage, and sight-seeing as well as published tourism statistics and market reports. It also provides support for international conventions and incentive events.
JNTO is an Independent Administrative Institution of the government of Japan. Its publications and website assist in preparing travel itineraries within Japan, providing a wide range of travel information in English and other languages on transportation, accommodations, shopping and events.
yahoo